Hidden Secrets
by AdrianaCartoonFangirl
Summary: Liam receives a mysterious note from his locker which turns out to be...a love note from a secret admirer! The identity of this person will turn out to be a bigger surprise than he thought.


It is a typical Monday afternoon in Royal Woods Elementary. Lincoln and his group of friends are sitting together and eating lunch.

"So Stella, got anything you're willing to trade for a salami and provolone sandwich?" Clyde asks while giving a smirk.

Stella looks at her own sandwich in a plastic baggie and then looks back at Clyde. She raises her eyebrow, narrows her eyes, and taps her index finger on her chin in a faux thinking pose.

"Hmm, your offer sounds intriguing to me. However, are you willing to trade all that for the power of…peanut butter and banana?" She raises the sandwich slightly so it's in full view.

"Ooh, you know my weakness! You've got yourself a trade." Clyde and Stella rightfully trade sandwiches.

Meanwhile, Rusty looks over at Zach and eyes him suspiciously. "Hey Mr. Tuna Kit, you'd better have something of value to trade with me."

"For your information, I don't have a tuna kit today." Zach opens his blue insulated lunchbox and removes a plastic bag containing a cold cheeseburger. "I've got a leftover burger, will this do it for ya?"

"Eh, I'm not too keen on leftover meat, unless it's porkchops or hot dogs. What else ya got, Gurdle?" Rusty comments.

Zach searches his lunchbox for anything he's willing to trade with Rusty; but the only thing he's willing to give up is his beverage. He pulls it out.

"I have this, I guess." He holds a red and white can that says "Crazy Cola."

Rusty's face lights up as he sees the soda. "Oh boy, CC! I haven't had that in like a week!" In return, Rusty shows off a green can that says "Dewdrop".

"Wow, I've been craving Dewdrop for a while now." Zach grabs the can of Dewdrop and gives the Crazy Cola to Rusty.

"Hey, has anyone seen Liam? I have a treat for him." Stella holds up a donut with pink icing and red sprinkles on it. "You know how much he loves donuts."

Speak of the devil, Liam enters the cafeteria holding a small white envelope and has a downright puzzled look on his face. Despite keeping his eyes glued on the envelope, he manages to sit down between Clyde and Zach.

"Hey fellers, you'll never guess what I found in my locker," Liam reports.

Stella is the first to speak, "I'm not a feller."

Liam looks up, "Oh sorry. I'm just mighty distracted by this."

"What is it?" Clyde wonders.

Liam turns the envelope so that the front is facing everyone. It has Liam's name and two hearts next to it, both written in red pen. Everyone in the gang gasps.

"It's a love letter!" Lincoln exclaims.

Rusty grabs the envelope from Liam's hand and looks at it with a raised eyebrow. "Normally, I'd be jealous, but I'm actually curious." He uses his thumb to try and open the envelope, before Liam reaches across the table and snatches it back from him.

"Give me that!" Liam gently tore open the top of the envelope so as not to accidentally mess up the letter inside. Once the envelope is open, he removes the letter that is folded horizontally three times. After he unfolds it, he skims through it briefly.

"Read it," Rusty urges.

"Calm down, if he doesn't want to read it, he doesn't have to." Lincoln says.

"I'm alright reading it out loud." Liam says.

Once he clears his throat, he reads it: "Dear Liam, I've been smitten with you since the day I met you. Once I heard your accent and learned that you live and work on a farm, I couldn't stop thinking about you and I realized that I like you. I also think you're really cute and funny. I've kept it secret for so long because I was too embarrassed and I wanted to spare confusion and pain from both of us. However, I want to tell you how I feel now because I trust you enough not to make fun of me. Signed, Your Secret Admirer."

When he looks up from the letter, a faint blush appears on his cheeks. "Oh my…"

"Well, I didn't think you had it in ya, Liam." Clyde comments.

Rusty folds his arms and scowls, "I take it back, I am a little jealous." Zach gives him a dirty look and uses his elbow to jab Rusty in the ribcage.

"Now, the question is, who wrote it?" Lincoln taps his chin with his index finger.

Following his first instinct, Liam immediately looks at Stella and tilts his head in curiosity. "Was it you?"

When all the boys turn their attention towards her, Stella frowns and rolls her eyes. "How many times do we have to go through this? I don't like any of you guys that way; we are _just friends _nothing else. So, no, it wasn't me."

After shrugging indifferently, the boys keep thinking about who Liam's secret admirer may be. A minute or two later, Rusty makes a suggestion, "Maybe it's Girl Jordan."

"Nah, I don't think so, she doesn't seem like the romantic type to me." Zach opposes.

"Now hang on, I think he may be onto something." When everyone looks at Liam, he elaborates. "When we play dodgeball in gym class, she surprisingly doesn't hit me; and even when she does, it's not particularly hard. Plus, her locker's right next to mine, so it's perfect for her to slip this here note right inside."

Everyone's eyes widen in surprise as they realize that Liam's explanation makes a lot of sense.

Liam glances at the letter again, "Maybe I should ask her about it later."

Rusty shakes his head, "No Liam, you can't just _ask _her if she's your secret admirer; you gotta be subtle, _smooth, confident. _Try flirting with her a bit and _then _you tell her you know about her letter."

"Hmm…well if you really think that'll work…then I suppose I could try." Liam says.

"Good luck with that, buddy." Lincoln reassures while giving a hearty thumbs up.

Stella raises an eyebrow at Liam, "So…where's your lunch?"

In response to Stella's question, Liam looks at the surface of the table in genuine surprise, "Aww dang. I was so occupied with this doggone letter that I totally forgot to grab it!" He turns red.

Stella hands him the donut she was saving for him, "Here you go."

Liam's eyes widen and his mouth waters, "Ooh, my favorite! I guess this'll be a celebratory treat!" After he grabs it and takes a big bite, everyone goes back to eating; with Zach smiling as he watches Liam eat his favorite sweet.

* * *

Once lunch period ends, the gang heads back to their classroom. As they enter, they see Girl Jordan searching inside her desk for something. Rusty elbows Liam and wiggles his eyebrows indicating that it's time for Liam to make his first move. Once Liam takes a deep breath and breaks from the group, Rusty pushes everyone towards the back of the room so they can spy on them.

Liam approaches Girl Jordan and smiles while making an awkward "flirting" face. "Howdy, Girl Jordan." She looks up at Liam and displays a small grin at him. "Hey Liam, what's up?"

Liam's stomach and chest begin to ache in anxiety at the thought of this girl in front of him having romantic feelings for him. Trying hard to ignore his anxiety and play it "cool", he decides to break the ice a little bit.

"So…how've you been?" How was yer weekend?" He wonders, with a slight hesitation in his voice.

Girl Jordan shrugs, "I've been good. My weekend was alright."

Liam puts his hands behind his back and rocks back and forth on his feet, "You weren't thinking of someone…special?" He awkwardly raises an eyebrow and gives a slightly broken smile.

"Someone special? What, like a crush or something?"

Liam's face softens and his eyelids droop, "Exactly." Since there's silence between the two of them for a brief moment, Liam slowly winks at her. Girl Jordan then purses her lips to the side and glances away from Liam. Before anyone can say anything…

"Morning class." Mrs. Johnson greets as she walks in.

Before going to his seat in the back of the room, Liam shakily raises his right hand and makes a finger gun, awkwardly winks, and clicks his tongue at Girl Jordan. He finally meets with the others in the back of the room.

Later, during free period, the gang discuss Liam and Girl Jordan's interaction from a few hours prior.

"You know, your flirting tactics seem a little confused." Stella teases Liam.

Liam sheepishly shrugs, "Having a gal like me is new to me, so I can't help bein' slightly clueless."

"So, cowboy Casanova, what was her body language like?" Rusty wonders.

Liam pauses for a brief moment to properly describe Girl Jordan's reactions to him talking to her. "Well…she seemed to be really shy; shruggin' and lookin' away from me."

Rusty grins, "Ah, shyness: a classic sign of _love_."

"Can I suggest something?" Everyone turns their attention to Clyde as he begins. "One thing that you should _always _give a girl is reassurance and comfort. I think she's shy because she's still afraid to tell her how she feels. So, if I were you, I'd tell her that she doesn't have to be afraid."

Liam uses his index finger to scratch his chin as he ponders Clyde's advice. "You know…that's oddly profound. And I know that if I were in her shoes, I would want to know that I can trust the person I'm confessin' my feelings to."

"Also, please be gentle Liam," Clyde tells him.

Liam's eyelids drop as he gives a tender smile, "Oh I will."

* * *

At the end of the day, when the hallways are completely empty due to most of the students being gone, Girl Jordan rummages through her locker trying to figure out what to take home and what to leave behind. Because she is the only student present, Liam feels this is the perfect time for him to convince her things are gonna be Ok and to let her know that he knows about her letter. Despite his heart racing from anxiety, he approaches Girl Jordan and taps her on the shoulder with his index finger. She lets out a small "hmm?" as she closes her locker and turns around.

"Hi Liam." She greets. Every time she says hi to him, it's like music to his ears.

As a gesture of mild bashfulness, Liam uses his left hand to rub the left side of his neck. "Howdy. Listen…can I talk to ya for a minute?"

After Girl Jordan nods, Liam replays Clyde's advice in his head. _Remember, comfort her, tell her it's ok._

He smiles at her, "You don't have to hide yer feelings for me anymore. I got yer letter; I know you like me but you're too shy to admit it. No need to worry, you could trust me."

Girl Jordan raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. "Letter? I didn't write a letter."

Liam's smile instantly fades and he raises an eyebrow. How could she not remember? He reaches in his back pocket and shows her the envelope with the letter back inside; hoping it'll jog her memory.

"This letter. You even drew hearts next to my name and signed it 'your secret admirer'."

"May I see it?" As he gives her the envelope and she skims through the letter that she removes, Liam tries to remain hopeful that perhaps rereading it will shed some light.

However, his hopes will immediately come crashing down as Girl Jordan looks Liam in the eye with a look of hesitation and pity.

"Liam…I hate to tell you this, but…I didn't write this. I don't have these feelings for you." She puts the note back in the envelope and holds it out to him. "In fact, I don't feel this way about anybody at this school."

At first, Liam doesn't want to move, but he also wants to keep his beloved memento. So, with his hand uneasily shaking like a leaf, he plucks the note from his classmate. He immediately breaks eye contact as his gaze falls downcast with his head hanging low and shoulders slumping forward. His lips slightly quiver as he tries to hold back tears from the blunt rejection. Once again, he uses his left hand to rub the left side of his neck; this time out of embarrassment and melancholy.

"I'm a fool…just a gosh darn fool…" Is all Liam is able to muster in a harsh whisper. He closes his eyes.

Feeling pity for someone whom she at least considers a friend, Girl Jordan puts a hand on Liam's shoulder, making him look at her hand and then her face.

"You're not a fool, Liam. If it makes you feel any better, you're a nice kid and I think of you as a friend. I'm sure whoever wrote you that note meant every word of it and I wish you two the best of luck."

Liam gives a subtle nod. "That actually does make me feel better, thank you."

Girl Jordan nods back, "You're welcome, I'll see you tomorrow." She removes her hand from his shoulder and walks away.

Liam once again stares at his name and two hearts on the envelope; he then closes his eyes, lets out a deep sigh, opens his eyes, and slips the envelope in his back pocket. He walks in the opposite direction. Unbeknownst to both parties, Zach was hiding in a nearby corner and watched their ordeal the whole time.

* * *

Twenty seconds later, Zach exits the school and sees a white minivan parked in front driven by none other than his older sister Becky. She rolls down the driver's window and greets him. "Hey buddy, come on in."

Zach obeys and opens the passenger's side door so he can climb in. After closing the door and fastening his seatbelt, Becky drives off. She looks at him with a mischievous look.

"Soooo, did you do it? Did you give him the message?" She wonders as she wriggles her eyebrows.

"Yeah…" Zach sighs as he rests his elbow on the window and his hand on his cheek. As his gaze falls downcast, Becky takes notice of her brother's demeanor and changes her attitude from eager curiosity to genuine concern.

"You don't seem very excited, what's wrong?" She asks.

"He thinks Girl Jordan wrote it." He answers.

"Well, wasn't that the idea? To make your identity ambiguous so he wouldn't know you did it?" She wonders.

"Yeah…but when he confronted her about it, I was so embarrassed for him, especially since he looks like he felt so bad."

"Aww, I think it's so sweet how much you care about him," Becky swoons.

Zach looks at his sister, "You haven't said anything to Mom and Dad, have you?"

Becky shook her head. "Nope, my lips are sealed until _you're _ready to tell them."

"Thanks, you're awesome!" He smiles.

She reaches over and ruffles his hair, "What're big sisters for?"

As the two of them laugh, Zach realizes what he must do next.


End file.
